Lothian Cemetery

Established in 1808, Lothian Cemetery is the oldest British cemetery in New Delhi. It was used for more than a century before it was closed to burials during the 1960s.

Buried in the cemetery are those who belonged to the local Christian community between 1808 and 1867. Throughout the cemetery are graves of members of the East India Company and their families who perished during India’s first cholera outbreak during the 19th-century. Also buried in the cemetery are English servicemen who died during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The rebellion was primarily aimed at the rule of the East India Company. 

As with many other cemeteries around the world, Lothian Cemetery is engulfed with rumors of ghost sightings and hauntings. One famous ghostly tale is that of Sir Nicholas. Nicholas was a British officer whose ghost is now said to roam the cemetery missing its head 

As the story goes, Nicholas fell in love with a local Indian lady who eventually married another. It’s said a heartbroken Nicholas took his own life over his lost love. This story likely derives from the Nicholson Cemetery, which is little more than a mile away and plays host to a similar story.

The cemetery is owned by the Archaeological Survey of India. It was in a state of disrepair for some time until renovations began in 2017.